Who writes the highest legal standards for weights and measures?

The organization that writes the highest legal standards for weights and measures is the Organization for International Legislation in Metrology (OIML). OIML is an intergovernmental organization that develops international recommendations and guidelines for the legal metrology of measuring instruments and systems. These standards are designed to ensure that measurements are accurate and reliable globally, providing a basis for trade and regulatory compliance.

By focusing on harmonizing measurement standards across nations, OIML helps facilitate international trade, ensuring that products meet the same measurement criteria, regardless of where they are manufactured or sold. This commitment to standardized measurements supports fairness in commerce and consumer protection.

The other organizations mentioned, such as NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology), ISO (International Organization for Standardization), and ANSI (American National Standards Institute), have important roles in metrology and standardization. However, their focus varies slightly, with NIST primarily serving national standards in the U.S., ISO addressing broad international standards that may not always pertain specifically to legal metrology, and ANSI facilitating the standards development process in the U.S. without specifically establishing international legal standards for weights and measures. Hence, while they play vital roles in the landscape of measurements and standards, OIML is the principal authority on